Shankar Vedantam

He never needed it.

A few days later, a now iconic photo was published in newspapers.

Ike, surrounded by those American paratroopers.

He leans in, tall and eagle-eyed.

He was lauded as a hero.

The general who launched the Great Crusade.

He was the epitome of American decisiveness, confidence, command.

Ike's failure note, as it has come to be known, was never used and remains little known.

But it revealed something profound about leadership.

Behind his public confidence was massive doubt, uncertainty, and the heavy burden of a decision.

This week on Hidden Brain, we explore the hidden power of doubt, not as weakness or indecision, but as a tool that helps us make better choices, build stronger relationships, and navigate an uncertain world.

When you picture a strong leader, what do you see?

Someone confident, decisive, unwilling to back down.

We don't think of strong leaders as hesitant, doubtful, or unsure of the right answers.

Confidence and determination are admirable traits, but they also have drawbacks.

Confidence can lead to overconfidence.

Decisiveness can make leaders less tolerant of dissent.

Determination can blind us to risks.

At the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, Bidhan Parmar studies the value of doubt.

He goes by Bobby, and he says that by avoiding uncertainty, we miss out on opportunities for growth.